Under the starry skies of Larrakia Country, the annual National Indigenous Fashion Awards (NIFA) lit up Darwin’s Deckchair Cinema, showcasing the extraordinary depth of First Nations design, textile art, and cultural storytelling.

Organised by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation as part of the Indigenous Fashion Projects, the prestigious event serves as Australia’s premier national platform for Indigenous creatives. This year’s ceremony followed on from a spectacularly successful, sold-out Country to Couture runway, highlighting the rapid rise of First Nations fashion on both national and global stages.

A Historic Cross-Continental Collaboration

Among the night’s most celebrated achievements was the Community Collaboration award, which went to a ground-breaking initiative bridging Arnhem Land with southern India. The partnership between the Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida and Bangalore’s Tharangini Studio successfully translated 78 intricate Indigenous designs—representing 14 distinct clans—into hand-carved wooden stamps.

Accepting the award in Darwin, Tharangini Studio’s Padmini Govind and Bábbarra representative Janet Marawarr reflected on a shared journey that transcended spoken language. “It is a craft-led dialogue,” Govind explained, noting that despite English being a third or fourth language for many involved, a shared passion for textiles fostered a deep connection. “We felt we really didn't need a common spoken language to create all this textile magic.”

While traditional lino-printing tools can degrade, the hand-carved woodblocks are designed to last up to a century, offering a resilient way to archive history. “In a way, it’s preserving stories of artists who are here and also those who are no longer with us,” Govind added. Marawarr emphasized that the partnership secures a vital pathway for younger generations, ensuring sacred cultural knowledge continues to be handed down.

Top Designer Honours Go to Quandamooka Weaver

The coveted Fashion Designer Award was presented to Delvene Cockatoo-Collins of Quandamooka Country in south-east Queensland. Overwhelmed by the recognition, Cockatoo-Collins produces small-batch, naturally dyed clothing and homewares that act as wearable vessels of family oral history.

“My work always starts with a story,” she said. “When people look at that work, they can see that it's from the island that belongs to our family line—my granny's granny.” She praised the event for its vital role in uniting remote creatives, enabling them to share regional stories instantly on the runway.

Preserving Tiwi Culture Through Adornment

In the Traditional Adornment category, Michelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni of Milikapiti on the Tiwi Islands was honoured for her exquisite handmade bark baskets, known as “tunga,” alongside traditional headwear and armbands adorned with pandanus and feathers.

The win held deep personal significance for Minnapinni, who learned these ancient techniques from her late older sister. “I'm really proud of myself, but also I had to do this to honour my old people, and my late sister, and just pass down the traditional knowledge,” she said.

2026 National Indigenous Fashion Awards Winners

• Fashion Designer Award: Delvene Cockatoo-Collins (Quandamooka, QLD)
• Textile Design Award: Lillardia Briggs-Houston (North Albury, NSW)
• Business Achievement Award: Kimberley Aboriginal Fashion Textiles Art (Broome, WA)
• Traditional Adornment Award: Michelle Pulatuwayu Woody Minnapinni (Tiwi Islands, NT)
• Wearable Art Award: Lucy Simpson (Tempe, NSW)
• Cecilia Cubillo Young Achiever Award: Jake Powers (Broome, WA)
• Community Collaboration Award: Bábbarra Women’s Centre x Tharangini Studio (Arnhem Land, NT / Bangalore, India)